Christmas Star
by MeridaFaeScott
Summary: Short story. Christmas Day is hard on Star since it's the one year anniversary of her twin sister's death. Jason, her old friend comoforts her and brings back the holiday spirit...R


Star walked across the empty parking lot with a sigh. The city lights around her sparkled, and many of the buildings had Christmas lights covering them. The cold was making her eyes dry and they were beginning to sting.

It was Christmas Day, and she was having trouble enjoying the celebration. It had been a year since her twin sister, Summer, had died in a car accident. The day had been rough on her nerves, but walking in the cold helped Star to calm down.

Letting her mind wander, she remembered all the times her and her sister had spent Christmas evening together talking about their gifts and everything that had occurred that holiday season. It wasn't fair.

Star brushed away a few tears with a sniff, and kept walking. Her sneakers didn't make a sound on the concrete. She was beginning to wish she had brought her coat with her, but didn't feel like going back to get it. Her jeans and green sweater would keep her from freezing, at least.

"Hey, Star!" she heard someone call from behind her, reminding her how much she hated her name. It was dumb-why couldn't she have a normal name like Sarah, Anna, or even Nicole?

She slowed to let whomever catch up, even though she wanted to be alone. Maybe talking to someone could cheer her up. It surprised her when Jason Grey fell into step next to her.

"When did you get here?" she asked in surprise. Last she had known they were someone in New York City performing.

"Yesterday." Jason replied, "We decided to walk through the city and catch the Christmas lights before Christmas is all over. That and Joe and Nate needed to get rid of some energy before they got us all in trouble." Star only smiled slightly at his comment.

"Cool."

"Are you okay?" Jason asked softly, apparently catching her sad tone.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She said shortly, but Jason rested his hand on her arm for her to stop her sudden hurried walking.

"The truth?" he whispered. Star put on what she hoped was a convincing puzzled expression, but soon sighed and bit her lip.

"She was only nineteen, Jason." Star choked out, the tears easily making their way down her cheeks. "It doesn't seem fair."

"I know." Jason whispered, pulling her into a tight hug. She was thankful for the support and chance to freely cry on someone's shoulder. He always made her feel better, and Star was thankful for a friend like him.

"Thanks." Star sniffed, pulling away a few moments later, "I needed that."

"I could tell." He said softly, "Are you okay?"

"I think so." She nodded, "It's just really hard today. I'm fine now though. Summer…she wouldn't want me crying about it."

"No, she wouldn't." Jason agreed, "She'd want you to be having the best Christmas ever."

"I know…" Star said, sniffing again. "I just miss her."

"We all do." He nodded, gazing at the sky when small snow flakes began to fall. A gust of wind blew the small white flakes around, and Star felt her long brown hair being blown around also.

"Merry Christmas." Star said, realizing her greeting Jason wasn't very friendly after not seeing them all for several months.

"Merry Christmas." Jason replied with a grin at her. "What was your favorite thing about Christmas this year?"

"I don't know." Star shrugged. She hadn't thought much about it, except how much she was missing her sister, "Probably the fact that we're finally having our first snow fall." He nodded with a thoughtful look, "What about you?" she asked curiously.

"Several things." His expected reply came, and she opened her mouth to speak when he surprised her by going on in a whisper, "But the best thing is probably seeing you again."

Star felt her heart jump to her throat at his soft words. What was he saying? Did Jason just imply what she thought? Keeping her mouth shut in uncertainness, her eyes searched his face for a clue as he looked intently at her.

"Meaning?..." Star couldn't help but ask, swallowing slowly in nervousness. It had been months since seeing him, but she was well aware of the fact that she still had feelings for him. Star never imagined that he could return those feelings.

"Star, I'm going to be completely honest with you." Jason said hesitantly, and Star noticed his anxious expression as he ran his hand through his curls.

"Good." She said, encouraging him to go on with what he had to say.

"I know it's totally out of the blue and crazy, but…" Jason began strongly, but then faded out, looking suddenly unsure and scared.

"What?" Star pressed, dying to hear the rest of his words.

"You know what? Forget it." Jason said in a normal tone that almost convinced her that he hadn't been about to say anything of importance. He turned to walk away, but Star stopped him by grabbing his arm and Jason faced her again.

"Tell me." Star insisted, "I don't care how crazy you think it is."

"I love you." Jason blurted out, his eyes wide, "I know it's ridiculous. We haven't seen each other in months. I know it's sudden. Forget I said anything-"

Star cut him off by lifting a finger to his lips, leaning against him in the process. It was amazing what he had just admitted to her, and it had taken her a moment to register and react to his rambling.

"I love you too." Star breathed, her cheeks flushing and her whole body feeling hot with nervousness as she spoke. It took Jason a moment to react, but he pulled her tighter to him when he did.

He leaned down to kiss her firmly, making Star ready to faint in disbelief. It felt like she was dreaming, but she was thankful she wasn't. Her arms wrapped around his neck as he held her even tighter to him.

"Well, Merry Christmas." Star whispered when they parted, and she was lost in his eyes, only inches away. Finally she was getting warmed up even without her coat.

"Merry Christmas, Star." Jason breathed.


End file.
